Yemen's army is retaking Jaar, the final al Qaeda stronghold in the country's southern Abyan province, forcing hundreds of militants to flee the town, two local security officials told CNN.

The state-run Saba news agency also reported that government forces were retaking Jaar on Tuesday morning after fierce battles against al Qaeda with the support of the Yemeni air force. The agency confirmed that Batis district is now under government control.

The officials estimated that more than 80 militants were killed over the last three days in the province, mainly in areas surrounding Jaar and Zinjibar.

Government troops in southern Yemen on Sunday attacked al Qaeda hideouts, killing two dozen suspected militants in the latest push to clear the area of the terror organization, local security officials said.

Four members of the military were also killed in the clashes, which began early in the morning in the Abyan districts of Zinjibar and Jaar, the officials said, while nine troops were wounded.

Government warplanes aided in the assault.

"We succeeded in taking takeover three strategic posts near Jaar and our forces will continue to go forward," said one of the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"Al Qaeda fighters are evacuating areas previously under their control due to the intensive government bombardment," the official added.

Yemen's government has been fighting al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula for years with mixed results.

Suspected al Qaeda militants seized Abyan last year during Yemen's political stalemate after government troops evacuated most military posts in the province.

Recently, the government sent thousands of troops to Abyan in its latest assault against the militants, vowing not to retreat until al Qaeda is defeated.

The clashes took place the same day White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan met with President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi in Sanaa.

A U.S. drone strike killed seven suspected al Qaeda militants Saturday in the Mareb province of Yemen, part of a continuing air campaign against the terror organization, security officials said.

The drone struck one of three vehicles carrying the suspected militants in the district of Huraib, the officials said. The other two vehicles fled the area unharmed and continued toward the southern Abyan province.

A heavy government presence was at the scene immediately after the attack and residents said thick smoke and flames could be seen from miles away.

Among the dead were three al Qaeda leaders, according to the officials, who called the attack a blow to the al Qaeda network in the country.

The strike occurred nearly a week after a senior operative of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula was killed by a CIA drone strike and less than three weeks after a Yemeni-linked terror plot to bring down a U.S.-bound jetliner was foiled.

Ali Abdullah Saleh is no longer Yemen's president, but he is still wielding political clout as the head of the ruling party.

Saleh has threatened to withdraw all members of his party from the national government and warned the prime minister he could face imprisonment.

Protesters took to the streets in mass demonstrations over the past year, calling for Saleh's departure from office. He finally stepped down last month in exchange for immunity in part of a power transfer deal brokered by the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council.

However, he remains president of the ruling General People's Congress party.

Tension has escalated between Saleh and the new regime after new President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi said he was planning major reforms, said Yahya al-Arasi, Hadi's spokesman.

Prime Minister Mohammed Saleh Basendowah recently attended a ceremony at Change Square in Sanaa and condemned the old regime's attacks against unarmed youth protesters. The square was the base of the protests that erupted last year against Saleh's rule.

As a result, Saleh threatened to imprison Basendowah if he does not listen to his orders, al-Arasi said.

[Updated at 7:52 p.m. ET ] Explosions rocked two government security offices Thursday morning in Aden, Yemen. The first explosion occurred at the city's political security headquarters, while the other was at al-Mualla police station, witnesses said.

No casualties were reported among security forces from either explosion, a security official at al-Mualla police station said. Explosives had been hidden behind the police station, the official said.

In all, at least four blasts were heard over the course of an hour in the city's al-Mansoora and Mualla districts.

Residents said that security forces fatally shot a child minutes after the explosions. "Police officers went on rooftops and started shooting," said Khaled Saleem, a resident of al-Mualla.

No immediate claim of responsibility was made, and speculation differed over who could have been behind the attacks.

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